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Archiver > QUEBEC > 2002-04 > 1019505319


From: "John H.Merz" <>
Subject: [QUEBEC] Re: German soldiers that stayed in Canada.
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 15:55:19 -0400
References: <OE162UU49dmmzsiwTwy00006f3b@hotmail.com>


Hello Hessians and Quebecers,

it was with great pleasure that I received this letter from Kathleen,
describing her research efforts, and her search for her distinct
ancestor, whose name was DESCOSTES, apparently later
changed to DECASSE.
Due to the unfortunate fact that I cannot find any trace of this
name or similar in my Hessian files, I am asking all my
distinguished friends and researchers reading our mail lists,
for help on this one.
It would be very much appreciated, I am sure.
John Merz

----- Original Message -----
From: KATHLEEN MCKENNA
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 4:01 PM
Subject: German soldiers that stayed in Canada.

Hello John,
Last week I joined the AFGS and got a very big surprise to learn
about the German soldiers that came to fight during the American
Revolution and stayed in Canada. I always thought that my
grandfather was the first generation in Canada because I never heard
of anyone else mentioned. Then I learned that my great-grandfather
had married a French girl in Quebec. He had changed his name to
Descostes. His son - my grandfather, changed the spelling of it to
Decasse. I remember seeing a framed picture of a document that my
grandfather had, it was signed Joseph Adrien FELX dit Decasse.
My mother said that her father was Dutch, and for some reason,
my brother always said that he was "German Dutch" I don't know
the difference - if there is any. My sister-in-law Gisele, in Montreal
called the German embassy to ask about the name and they told her
that it was not German. Can you tell me if it is or not. Some years ago,
Gisele had met a woman whose husband's name was also FELX
(he did not changed his name) and when she asked that woman
about the origin of that name, she said that her father-in-law had told
her that IT WAS GERMAN. I was reading your book about the Hessian
Soldiers in Canada, and I found it very exciting. A woman, sitting next to
me at the library at American French Genealogy Society, (AFGS) heard me
tell someone that I was reading a book about the Germans in Canada,
and she was very surprised. She told me that she had been searching
for one of her ancestors who was German but had changed his name to
Joseph Lamontagne. I had just read about him and I showed her. She
said that she has been searching for him for 4 years until then.

I can put myself in your shoes, when you discovered these
German soldiers who had come from your hometown so far across
the ocean. What a thrill that must have been.
Full of hope I am waiting for your answer, but first
PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF.
My e-mail address is

Kathleen A. McKenna


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